This disclosure relates to the formation of fabric preforms for composite components. In particular, this application relates to manipulation of a fabric to improve fabric preform quality.
Composite components are often used in applications in which having a high strength-to-weight ratio is important such as, for example, aircraft components. Many structural composite components can be made by wrapping a high-strength fabric around a form to create what is known as a fabric preform, applying a resin to the fabric preform, and then curing the resin to form the final composite component.
In many instances, the geometry of the final composite component is restricted by the limits of the fabric as severe imperfections can potentially form during the wrapping of complex shapes. Even in forming a cylindrical or near-cylindrical tubular body (which is a relatively simple geometric form), over the course of wrapping the fabric onto the form some areas build up more thickness than others. These areas of thickness, if left unchecked, can result in fabric waviness that occurs both within and transverse to the laminate layers (often referred to as in-plane and out-of-plane wrinkling).
To prevent this, it is usually necessary during wrapping to apply a few plies of fabric and then to stop to periodically debulk the wrapped fabric. According to this method, to achieve the most efficient and complete debulking, pressure needs to be applied after each layer is placed. However, this is time consuming, labor intensive, and costly.
Hence, an improved way to wrap and debulk a fabric preform for a composite component is needed.